Probing the intrinsic conductivity of multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

The authors report the two-photon electron emission study of quantum transport parameters in multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The present experimental approach is based on measurements of the electron-phonon scattering dynamics and does not employ any electrical contacts, which dramatically reduces the uncertainty in the determination of an electron mean-free path l. It is found that near the Fermi level (<0.1 eV) the ballistic travel of electrons averages around 4 μm, which is comparable to the nanotube length, whereas in high-current regime (≥ 0.3 eV) l decreases to lessthan 1 μm. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.